Pray for Us

When I “signed up” to be a disciple of Jesus Christ I agreed to submit my will to His. When I was baptized into Christ Jesus I committed go anywhere, do anything and give up everything. Over my thirty years as a follower of Christ I have obeyed His calling. And our upcoming trip to Budapest is no different.

We ended 2016 with no plans, thoughts or desires to travel to Europe in 2017. Yet when approached and the need made clear to us – Greg, Carl, Jake, Laura and myself all agreed it was right for us to go.

When I shared the decision with you in a sermon a few weeks ago I was taken aback by your overwhelming support. Your response that day and since has reinforced that the decision has been a right one.

What made the decision a hard one for me was that I didn’t want to be away and miss all the fun of the ministry in NH. And yet, after hearing the good news during our most recent Small Group Leaders Meeting I realized you are in good hands – His hands. To hear about the groups meeting, some of the things already done and some of the plans for the near future did my heart good. To hear that four new people started to study the bible in one week was refreshing. I’m thrilled that a number of you are participating in our Apprentice Leadership Training Group. You have the heart of missionaries – the distractions of life but the desire to seek and save those who are lost. My personal prayer is we see a number of souls added to the Lord’s kingdom through you before we return in May.

Carl and I will be leaving for Budapest on Sunday, March 19th in the early evening. We will arrive around noon time in Budapest. Once settled in an apartment we’ll meet with the Budapest ministry staff for dinner, rekindling old relationships and building new ones. Our week will include spending time with the Leadership Team. Tuesday night we’ve offered to make dinner for them, a risk they’re willing to take. There will be a gathering of people who desire to become shepherds for the church, some one-on-one times and additional meetings. We’re hoping to get in a hike in the hills around Budapest. Generally speaking, we’ll be spending lots of time with people.

Laura will be flying over Sunday, March 26th, arriving early March 27th. We’ll go out to dinner together to celebrate her birthday (which I would have missed the week before) and catch up.

Carl will be leaving for the states on Tuesday, March 28th. I am so thrilled he is willing to alter his schedule to (continued on page four)join me on this missionary journey. He brings so many attributes (an elder, great family, successful career, full-time ministry experience and a former US soccer professional) to benefit the church in Budapest. I’m excited that he will get a chance to preach God’s Word in a foreign land in a foreign tongue. I can’t wait to see God use him in an extraordinary way. And I can only imagine how this trip will change him.

Laura and I will then work together to serve and help our brothers and sisters in the Budapest church. I’m not sure what that will entail but trust that the Lord has a plan.

We are set to leave Budapest on Monday, May 8th and plan to spend a few days in Italy resting and catching up. We’re scheduled to arrive in Boston on Saturday, May 13th, just in time for Mother’s Day on May 14th. I’m going to have to be creative to get Laura a Mother’s Day card. We’re both looking forward to sharing with you our missionary experience, along with some pictures, once we return.

We plan to stay in touch while we’re away. We desire to have a Skype service while over there so that we can see you. If you need to reach us, simply want to let us know you’re praying for us, or desire to share good news with us please feel free to email us at fixesinbudapest@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

You have been so wonderful regarding this trip. We’ve received words and notes of encouragement. Many have offered to help in any way possible, and for that we are grateful.

I’m convinced God has selected us for this trip at this time for His purpose. I pray we can honor Him by accomplishing all that He desires.

You will be in our thoughts and prayers daily. We will ask the Lord to protect you from the evil one. We’ll ask Him to bring about fruitful labor and for many to be added to His number. You are in good hands with Carl and Greg and Leanne and Jake and Bethany and our devoted Small Group Leaders leading the charge. Praying for Family, Fun and Fruit.

And please pray for us. We’ll miss you.

We love you,

Mike and Laura

Family, Fun & Fruit

Published on Tuesday, 14 March 2017 17:51

Family

I love being part of a family. I’ll admit it hasn’t always been easy for me or for them. But I wouldn’t trade it for all the money in the world.

I love that our Heavenly Father refers to His church as His family (1 Timothy 3:15). In Ephesians 2:19 Paul writes “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.”

Dictionary.com defines a “family” as: “any group of persons closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts, and cousins; all those persons considered as descendants of a common progenitor; a group of persons who form a household under one head, including parents, children, and servants.”

The Lord’s vision is a family whose love is genuine and sincere. A group who are devoted to and who honor one another. They are joyful, patient with and faithful in prayer for one another. They share with those in need and practice hospitality. They live in harmony and are willing to associate with anyone.

In 2017 our prayer is that the above describes our Small Groups (Family Groups). What better way to show Jesus to the world than through our love for one another (John 13:34-35).

Fun

Jesus said:“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (NIV); “…more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” (MSG); “…my purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (NLT) (John 10:10) Sign me up. How can any member of God’s family live life with a frown on their face. Jesus came so his followers could have life to the full.

Paul captured Jesus’ spirit when he wrote; “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.” (1 Thess. 2:8)

Who doesn’t want to have fun. Laughing, goofing off, playing, serving, enjoying hobbies, etc. I like being happy. I enjoy laughing. I love being around people who enjoy life. And I want to be one of those people. And I’m confident you do too.

So let the party begin.

Fruit

“If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me.” (Philippians 1:22) Paul’s perspective was as long as he was alive it meant fruitful labor for him. He knew that God “wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4)

He also knew he was to be part of the evangelization of the world but that it truly rested on God. After all he wrote; “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 6:6-9)

Our world is hurting. People are fighting over things that seem so important yet are so temporary. We have the opportunity to show what family and fun are all about. And, prayerfully, God will add to His kingdom.

Mike Fix

Help With the Insanity

Published on Tuesday, 14 March 2017 17:50

I have spent most of my adult life telling people about how badly I need to get into shape. As my metabolism slows to the point where every slice of pizza or spare french fry has a drastic effect on my waist line (and self-esteem) it has become more necessary to pay attention to such things. But honestly most of my getting-in-shape talk has been the kind of talk that failed New Year’s resolutions are made of.

There has been one notable exception. When our family relocated to Auburn, Alabama in the fall of 2013 I decided to join my friend Mitchell in a 9 week workout program called Insanity. If you have never done Insanity or are not familiar, God bless you. The name is every bit the descriptor of how hard the work outs were. In addition, my friend had to be at work fairly early, so we met at 6 am to do Insanity six mornings a week.

There were many mornings when my alarm went off and I was excited about heading off to work out, but more often than not the minute my eyes opened I was searching for an excuse not to go.

I need to take a day of rest from exercise in solidarity for those suffering this morning from acute coryza all over the world. (acute coryza being what we know as the common cold)

There were so many mornings when all I wanted to do was stay in bed, but the idea of calling Mitchell to tell him I was not coming was far worse than the idea of getting out of bed, walking to my car and driving to his house to get insane. Camaraderie and accountability are two of the most powerful tools when faced with reorganizing our lives around that which is best for us, but also incredibly challenging.

This principle is certainly true of any efforts we might make to get in shape, but it is also true of our steps to follow Jesus.

There are only two things that the New Testament tells us to do every day. The first is Jesus’ admonish to take up our cross and the second is to encourage one another. The writer of Hebrews reminders his original hearers and thus the modern reader, that without a commitment to daily encouragement our hearts and the hearts of those in our faith community will grow hard through the devastating effects of ongoing, intentional and unrepentant sin.

I would ask: are you committed to relationships that provide you with daily encouragement and for whom you encourage daily? If not, why not? And what effect has it had on your heart?

The good news is there are brothers and sisters, fellow followers of Jesus all around you who desire and need the same thing you do. We need only ask.

After the 9 weeks of insanity I was in the best shape I had been in since college and I loved it. It was so nice to be reminded you had ab muscles. None of this would have been possible without Mitchell and the daily encouragement not to quit.

Where could you be in 9 weeks if you grabbed two or three other men or women and committed to encouraging each other every day?